A former pilot has revealed why you should never swap to an empty seat before take-off, despite the temptation of a better seat.
Pete Hutchison, an ex-Virgin Atlantic captain, said that passengers moving from one part of the plane to another could make it behave in unpredictably dangerous ways during take-off and landing.
Mr Hutchison, who worked in the industry for 40 years explained that the aircraft fuselage is ‘like a see-saw’, and that it must be loaded in such a way that the nose tips neither up nor down.
‘To start moving seats, especially in significant numbers, to unplanned areas, could significantly impact the aircraft’s balance,’ he said, according to The Independent.
Airlines balance their planes by calculating the total weight of the aircraft, including passengers, baggage and cargo, against its Maximum Takeoff Weight and ensuring the center of gravity falls within the safe limits.
This involves using pre-calculated average weights for passengers and hand luggage, and then adjusting the placement of passengers, cargo, and baggage before takeoff to maintain stability.
If the calculated balance is not within limits, flight crews can make adjustments such as moving passengers or redistributing cargo.
Improperly loaded cargo or too many people sitting in one area of the plane can affect how it performs and handles.
Pete Hutchison, an ex- Virgin Atlantic captain, said that passengers moving from one part of the plane to another could make it behave in unpredictably dangerous ways during take-off and landing
Even if a pilot has flown a particular aircraft hundreds of times, the unequal weight distribution can cause a plane to crash
Even if a pilot has flown a particular aircraft hundreds of times, the unequal weight distribution can cause a plane to crash.
‘Your specific position in the cabin is one of the variables in that aircraft trim calculation,’ said Pete.
‘During a flight, you can move around, including to a different seat with permission, but you must be in your allocated seat for both the take-off and the landing.’
However, there are airlines which operate on ‘first come, first serve’ seating arrangements.
According to the former captain, seat-swapping only becomes a significant safety issue when the plane is less than 80 per cent full.
On these less crowded services, the flight crew will always distribute passengers to maintain the plane’s center of gravity.
It comes as earlier this year, a flight attendant weighed in with her opinion on the controversial issue of switching seats on a plane.
Leanna Coy, a cabin crew member based in the USA, posted a TikTok video where she explained that she was asked to switch seats with a passenger on a United Airlines flight and accepted, before regretting her decision.
She said that if the woman did anything against the aircraft’s rules, such as smoking in the bathroom, her behaviour would be associated with Leanna’s seat number.
And there’s another reason that Leanna says she was left ‘anxious’ by her decision to trade seats.
‘I realised I’m flying United,’ explained Leanna. ‘If you know anything about United’s service, if you want to buy drinks or anything, you have to put your card onto the app ahead of time, which I’ve done before.’
Improperly loaded cargo or too many people sitting in one area of the plane can affect how it performs and handles
This means that the passenger who swapped with Leanna would be able to access her card to pay for items.
She claimed that she spoke to the flight attendant who confirmed that the passenger would be able to use Leanna’s card to order items to the seat.
She added: ‘Now, do I think this lady was trying to scam me out of money on my card? No. But that’s just something to be aware of.
‘I fully support you if you don’t want to switch seats. You are entitled to the seat that you chose.’
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